More than 1.2 million family members provide unpaid care in North Carolina, according to the AARP Public Policy Institute. They often tackle challenging duties like medication management and dressing wounds.

Medicaid patients in long-term care often have outside income, such as Social Security or pensions. But Medicaid takes most of that money to defray care costs, leaving residents with little to spend on personal items, such as toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo and gifts for family members.

RALEIGH – A new survey of North Carolina registered voters ages 40 plus finds that the vast majority of respondents (83.5 percent) of current caregivers said that they will provide future caregiving or assistance on an unpaid basis to an adult loved one. It also found that over 95 percent think it is important to have services available in their communities to help older adults live independently.

Today, a secure retirement is out of reach for millions of Americans, especially those who work for small businesses. Nearly two million Tar Heels have no access to a retirement savings plan through their employers - that’s about 50% of the 18 to 64-year-old population.

RALEIGH—The AARP ‘Stop Rx Greed’ is a nationwide campaign aimed at lowering prescription drug prices. The goal of AARP’s sustained campaign is to help drive down drug prices for North Carolinians and all Americans by advocating for a variety of legislative, executive, and regulatory actions at both the federal and state level.

In North Carolina, there are 1.3 million people who are caring for a parent, spouse or other loved one, helping them to live independently at home. For many, family caregiving is more than helping with household chores or providing transportation. It includes complex care responsibilities that were once provided only by medical professionals.